Women's Studies

The Women's Studies minor is designed to help students examine the ways in which gender is constructed, learned, and performed in different cultures and social contexts. Women's Studies helps students to identify how these constructions of gender are shaped by power and to develop strategies for social, political and economic change.

Comprised of interdisciplinary courses from across the curriculum, Women's Studies uses feminist theory as a lens to explore gender inequality and other systems of inequality, such as those based in racism, classism, heterosexism and colonialism. By using this lens, students can better understand the global issues that so many women face, including, health disparities, unpaid labor, limited reproductive choices, violence, and political under-representation. As a discipline, Women's Studies is informed by the fields of: anthropology, economics, history, law, literature, medicine, philosophy, political science psychology, public health, religion, and sociology.

Classes in Women's Studies help students refine their skills in critical thinking and writing and can enhance almost every course of study. Systems that promote traditional gender role expression and power relations shape both men and women's perceptions of efficacy and professional goals. By learning tools to identify and deconstruct those systems, students can generate new ideas about careers, the role and purpose of work, and ethical decision-making within the context of their chosen profession.